The latest disruption to food supplies in Gaza is taking a heavy toll on families already battered by years of war and blockade. Israel halted commercial shipments into Gaza on October 14, citing a dispute over a demand for merchants to pay 10,000 shekels (US$3,225) per truck for entry. Shipments resumed five days later after the Israeli military body COGAT said merchants reported that Hamas had withdrawn the demand. Hamas described the payment request as a voluntary contribution to a fund for war-affected people.
For Huda Abu Leila, 30, the stoppage meant immediate shortages of staples such as eggs and milk. Her husband was injured in the war and cannot work; she earns a little baking bread for others. Some days her family eats canned beans with spices; on worse days they dip bread in tea. Her eldest daughter, Salma, is so weak she requires follow-up care at al-Rantisi Hospital, where a doctor advised improving her diet. “We were affected immediately,” Huda said. “We couldn't find eggs or milk, and we don't have the money to stock up on food.”
Raeda Soboh, 40, displaced from Beit Lahiya and living in Gaza City, says her nine-member family has not eaten milk, meat, eggs or cheese for about eight months. They rely on community kitchens for lunch and sometimes eat falafel, rice or pasta in the evening. Vegetables were last bought a month ago. “When a kitchen has food, we eat from it,” she said.
The crisis has deepened as humanitarian assistance shrinks. On October 19, the UN World Food Programme announced funding shortages forced it to cut support from 1.6 million people in September to 1.1 million in October, halve food rations to one parcel per family, and reduce daily hot meals from 250,000 to 150,000. Across Gaza, 1.4 million people, about two-thirds of the population, face acute food insecurity at crisis levels or worse, according to WFP. Famine was declared in Gaza City in August 2025 but had receded after a ceasefire earlier that year.
Paediatrician and nutrition specialist Dr Mohamed B Alraee warned that prolonged restrictions could increase child malnutrition. Clinics continue to receive children with moderate and severe malnutrition, including cases of swelling in the legs from severe protein deficiency, linked to families surviving on a single carbohydrate-heavy meal. “Children do not recover from malnutrition in a month or two,” he said. “If the situation continues like this, we expect to see more cases.” The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that over 2,800 children were admitted for malnutrition treatment in September, including more than 360 with severe acute malnutrition. A UNICEF survey published in August found 12.2 percent of children under five in accessible areas were affected by stunting, a sign of prolonged nutritional problems.